After the end of the First World War, there were many young men living in Hadspen, which was then very much a farming village. Around 1922, a club was formed for them by Mr Fred Golledge of Hadspen Farm. At that time the thatched house on the corner (now Hadspen Cottage) was four cottages, belonging to Hadspen Farm. Three were lived in but the fourth was empty, so it became Hadspen Men’s Clubroom. It soon became a place where the village children had Sunday School, Lent services were held and Holy Communion was received on the first Sunday of the month. Lilly Spratling became the first Sunday School teacher and was also secretary of the club. Mrs Arthur Hobhouse of Hadspen House, later to become Lady Hobhouse, ran the Mothers’ Meeting every week.
Mr Golledge later built a new room adjoining the old, in memory of his sister. It was called the New Church Room, where children’s parties were held in addition to the other activities. With this extra space available, boys of 13-15 were allowed to join and, later, girls. However, they all had to leave by 9 o’clock, so that the Men’s Club had time on their own.
The Old Hall
The club also held whist drives, dances and concerts. However, around 1934-35, the fortnightly whist drives ran into trouble with Mr Golledge for holding games during Lent, so the idea of a new secular Hall was conceived. Prominent supporters included Mrs Mabel Parker Rhodes of Honeywick House and Mr R M (Dick) Jennings of Hadspen Valley Farm. Dick’s father, Mr R F Jennings gave the land on which the Hall now stands and Dick, Mrs Parker Rhodes and others set about raising funds. One memorable fete at Honeywick raised more than £120, a considerable achievement for those days, and the Hall started life as a village social centre virtually free from debt. It was registered with the Charity Commissioners on 25 February 1938 and the original trustees were Mr Mark Dyer a retired civil servant who lived at Lark Hill and who was the first secretary to the Hall; Mrs Parker Rhodes, Mr Dick Jennings and Mr G F Clothier, farmer at Bottom Barn Farm (now known as The Wildings).
Social activity waxed and waned. There were parish dances when the Hall was crammed to overflowing, although Mrs Goodland, who lived at Nettlecombe Cottage at the time, recalled the Hall serving primarily as the Men’s Club. Like the old clubroom, it was also used by young people in the pre-television era as a place to meet in the evenings, for the popular fortnightly whist drives and occasional other functions.
Responsibility for the Hall’s management falls to a local committee, established in accordance with the Trust deed. The first organisations given the right to nominate a member were the Mothers’ Union, the Whist Drive Club and the Social Club, although the deed allows the Committee to adapt to changes in social patterns. Provision is made for raising a mortgage, or for the discontinuance by sale or letting of the Hall, subject to approval by a parish meeting and the Charity Commissioners. It has always been necessary to obtain supplementary grants from public funds towards modernisation and repair, although self-help remains a central tenant.
The New Hall
The Hall survived for many years but, in 1999, it became apparent following structural surveys that it would not be possible to renovate and the only course of action was to rebuild on the existing site and acquire adjoining land to create a new access and car park. At a parish meeting, it was agreed that the provision of a new parish hall would ensure that community activities would continue and it would be preserved as a centre for social interaction for future generations. Various feasibility studies and residents’ surveys were carried out and plans were submitted to South Somerset District Council, with permission granted in 2004.
Fund raising began in earnest and £85,000 was raised through various initiatives, including plant sales, quizzes, open gardens, an auction of promises and a gift-aid scheme. This was supplemented by grants from the county and district councils, along with a range of charitable foundations and local societies. However, it was was still £40,000 short of the amount needed. The Hall Committee could have taken a loan from the County Council but decided instead to make one last appeal for funds: a letter was sent to every home in the parish and the Committee was most grateful to the residents for supporting that request and reaching the target. Building began in 2007 and was completed in 2008 at a total cost of £230,000; an additional strip of land was later acquired for an extended car park.
The Hall stands today as a proud example of a social centre for the whole parish, built by the community for the community.